When You Call My Name
by Never-Ending-Donkey
Summary: After countless True Resets, Frisk finds help from an unlikely, somewhat reluctant source to restore Asriel to life. Post-Pacifist. Female Frisk, Male Chara. Pairings undecided; might not happen. Reviews are better than favorites.
1. Chapter 1: Something Different

**After playing two Pacifist Runs and zero Genocide Runs, I've come to the conclusion that I have to do my own Save-Goatbro story. And since I never intend to do Genocide, Chara is NOT going to be evil. Lemony and sardonic, yes, but not evil.**

 **Undertale is property of Toby Fox.**

So here we are again. Everyone survived, the barrier is gone, and you are the hero of the hour. Again. Are you satisfied yet?

Still you, Frisk. What, you think if you stare into that mirror hard enough, I'll suddenly show up instead of your reflection? Come on. I might as well be your imaginary friend. This place has nothing else to offer you. You're too big for the bed, you don't like the toys, a dog ate the rest of the pie, and I doubt you want to eat any more water sausages.

Hey, what's that look for? Are you…? Come on, big kids don't cry. This is about him, isn't it? Frisk, you've done all you can. He's just like me. He can't come back. Just let it go. Come on, everybody's waiting… Where are you going? Back to the ruins?

You know what he's going to say. You've heard him say it more times than I care to count. Those words are seared into your memory, and yet you always sit through his whole speech. Nothing's going to change. He'll tell you he was wrong, thank you for listening to him, and give you a life lesson. Frisk. It's over.

You can't save him. Asriel is dead. Don't you have anything better to do?

...You see? I told you nothing would change. He's probably turning back into that flower as we speak. Or not. Nothing important seems to happen in this world unless you're there. Maybe if you refuse ambassadorship for the eleventh time, something will change… Why are you back at the mirror? …What do you mean, "we" haven't tried everything? I never had any part in **your** decisions. It was **you** who refused to fight. It was **you** who became so attached to this world. It was **you** who kept resetting the timeline, over and over, because you just couldn't leave well enough alone over a single person.

But… you are determined, aren't you? I suppose I'm more involved than I'm willing to admit; after all, you wouldn't have known half of what you do about monsters now if I wasn't there to check them for you. Does that make us partners? Fair enough, partner… what's the new plan?

…You can't be serious. You would seriously trust me with… **that**? After all I've done? Frisk, I hurt so many people. I did more to turn Asriel into Flowey than Dr. Alphys ever could. How do you know I won't ruin everything again? My hatred, my bitterness, my demons, what makes you think they won't get the better of me…?

Frisk, you really are something special.

Alright, partner.

We will save him together.


	2. Chapter 2: The Comedian

Everyone was right where she left them, gathered in a semicircle and chatting about their new lives on the surface. She walked straight for Sans, who was still sharing puns with Toriel by text despite standing right beside her. The skeleton looked up to tell her he was busy, but the words died in his ribcage. That look on her face…

"The legendary fartmaster requests your presence," Frisk said with a beaming smile.

"Frisk!" gasped Toriel. "Such language!"

"Uh, yeah," Sans muttered, visibly sweating, "that's, uh, pretty silly."

Even as he spoke, the short skeleton motioned for Frisk to follow him, continuing, "I mean, you've gotta get better material than **that**. Let's walk and talk. C'mon, I know a shortcut."

The child and the skeleton wandered out of the room together, and in an instant, they were back in the judgement hall. Sans turned around, narrowing his eyesockets, and said, "Alright, whatever you are, where's the kid?"

"Is that any way to speak to the future of monsters?" the child answered. It was Frisk's voice, but different somehow: deeper, with a slight lilt. "Of course, I don't exactly deserve that title anymore, now do I."

A blue glow came from Sans' left eye as he growled, "Let's just get to the point. Where. Is. Frisk?"

"Right in front of you," the child giggled. "I can put her on the line if you want. The truth is, this was her idea."

Before Sans could retort, Frisk's body lurched forward, her hair falling over her face. His breath caught in his nonexistent throat as the child looked up again. The coy smile was gone, replaced with one that looked like she'd eaten Papyrus' famous spaghetti and asked for seconds. But at least it was familiar.

"You okay, Frisk?" asked Sans, the light in his eye disappearing.

Frisk gasped, coughed, and shuddered, but kept on her feet and replied, "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. I hope I didn't scare you. I-I just wanted to make something new happen."

"Something new?" Sans queried. He had a ton of questions for the kid about what he'd just seen, but somehow he knew they'd have to wait. "Welp, the expression you're wearing… that's the face of somebody at her wits' end. Whaddaya wanna know?"

"Let's walk and talk," Frisk repeated.

"Sure, kid," said Sans. "Where to?"

"The lab under your house."


	3. Chapter 3: Workshop Stories

Welp, here we are. I guess you wanna know what this all means, huh? What, they don't teach you how to read weird symbol language in human schools? Nah, don't worry, Frisk. You want me to be straight with you, I'll be straight with you. Hey, it's the least I can do for the future of monsters.

Those guys in the photo album, I mean the ones you don't know, they were my friends. Yeah, were. They're not really dead, but they're not alive either. More on that later. We were all coworkers, and that's where the badge comes in. Pretty much your standard-issue ID badge. "Dr. Sans. Lab assistant. Physicist. Full clearance." Yeah, I've got a doctorate. Believe it or not, I wasn't always lazy. I can remember a time when I actually wanted to accomplish something. Although that's gotten fuzzier for me over the years.

Now, the blueprints and the machine? You'd be right in thinking they're connected. But the blueprints were for a prototype. That scrappa junk behind the curtain is my own design, but I guess that's not surprising. All things considered, though, it's still in better shape than the prototype right now. The symbols **on** the blueprints, now that's personal stuff for me. Ya see, my boss liked to keep a lotta secrets. He didn't want any sensitive information leaking, so he spoke in this old language of his around us, his assistants. It's, uh, not easy to pick up.

Anyways, long story short, my boss built a time machine. He thought maybe he could find answers in other timelines on how to break the barrier. It was one of his better plans, but let's not get into that. Even now I remember the day he took it on a test run. It was supposed to be one quick trip, then we'd present it to the king. All our research… all our experiments… they built up to this moment. And then, with one flip of a switch, it all caved in on us.

The machine… wasn't ready. Something about irregularities in the power source… I barely had time to grab one of the interns and run. I thought… I thought everybody else was behind me. But when I cleared the blast doors…

Dammit, Tori's not gonna like it if I give you nightmares. Anyways, you're a smart kid. I'm sure you can put two and two together on where my machine fits in. Sorry, Frisk. Looks like whatever you wanted to do, time travel ain't your best bet. Hey now, don't look so sad, buddo. It's not your fault I gave up trying to fix this piece of shit.

Wait.

Just what **were** you trying to do, anyway?

I mean, you knew my secret-secret-triple-secret codeword, so this obviously ain't your first time in the Underground. And that expression you had when I mentioned my boss… I didn't even tell you his name, but you looked like you knew exactly who I was talking about. Come to think of it, you almost looked… relieved? And then there was that creepy shit you pulled to get me away from the others.

…I see how it is.

You think you can just play with us like toys, don't you?

We only exist for your entertainment.

 _No._

 **Then why did you tear it all away**?


	4. Chapter 4: First Run

On her first run, Frisk thought she'd done something wrong. She'd saved everyone, sure, and the barrier was gone. She could go home, and the monsters could live on the surface. Everyone was supposed to be happy. Taking her new friends' advice, she went for a stroll through the Underground, revisiting every nook and cranny of the various lands. Since no one was out to kill her anymore, the walk felt calming, almost meditative. As she passed through the ruins, Frisk recalled the flower bed that had broken her fall. The girl quickened her pace, a strange unease taking hold as she came within sight of the flowers. Asriel was there.

When she saw him by the flower patch during that first run, Frisk realized that moment she'd shared with Asriel hadn't been a dream. Everything—Flowey ambushing everyone in the barrier room, Flowey becoming Asriel again, Frisk reclaiming her friends' souls through sheer determination, **then** bringing Asriel's true self back into existence—had actually happened. Overjoyed, she ran up to the monster child, calling his name. He seemed so surprised, so genuine as he opened up to her. Frisk hung on to his every word as he told her his story, even as a tiny voice in the back of her mind screamed in anguish during his reflection on his ill-fated friendship with the manipulative Chara.

It was over too soon. She wanted him to come with her, back to the others, to let him see his parents again. To let them know it was him who shattered the barrier and saved their people. To give him his due, and maybe find a cure. But he told her it wasn't possible. Not without a soul of his own. He would turn back into that unloving flower, trapped underground forever. Even though she'd only met him an hour ago, Frisk couldn't accept this.

She wanted a happy ending.

But when she tried to speak, he just gave her a sad smile and asked, "Don't you have anything better to do?"

Somehow Frisk left the ruins. The child didn't remember the walk back. But as she stood on the cliff side and watched the sunset with her new friends, that tiny voice spoke up again, fainter than ever, remarking, "Dad asked you a question."

She turned to Asgore, and without thinking, she blurted out a squeaky "yes." To her surprise, she learned from Papyrus of all people that she'd just agreed to be the ambassador for monsterkind. Her stomach turned; she wasn't even eleven yet! Next thing she knew, it was just her and Toriel. The tiny voice was silent as Frisk chose to stay with the lonely former queen of the monsters. On that first run, it seemed like the right thing to do.

Life on the surface wasn't so bad for the monsters. The people in Frisk's town were fairly easygoing, although Papyrus' idea of a "good first impression" warranted several explanations. Frisk barely knew what ambassadors did, but with help from Sans and her adoptive mother Toriel, she grew into her role. Days passed into weeks, and weeks into months. Gradually, the happy ending Frisk had worked for became a distant memory, all save for one aspect: Asriel.

Try as she might, Frisk couldn't let it go. Sometimes, when walking up the path to school, she'd notice the golden flowers planted in the yard and look for a smiling face. Other times, someone would greet her with a folksy "Howdy!" and she'd snap to attention, only for them to turn out to be another kid, or even Asgore. In her dreams, she'd see the Dreemurr prince, always just out of reach, out of earshot, with tears in his eyes. More than once, she'd wake up to find Toriel standing over her, assuring her as only mothers can that it was only a bad dream.

But Frisk knew better. Her waking life was the real nightmare. Finally, on the night before her eleventh birthday, Frisk made up her mind to return to Mount Ebott and look for Flowey. Soulless or not, he was still Asriel, and if she could take down a god with a simple gesture, she could do anything. The walk up was far more difficult than she remembered; how did she get up there in the first place?

Just as Frisk reached the mouth of the cave, she caught sight of a flash of green and yellow sink into the ground. Her face set into a familiar stoic expression, and she raced into the cavern. Somehow Mount Ebott hadn't yet been invaded by tourists and treasure hunters, so there was little to impede Frisk's progress. No one was making puzzles anymore.

She finally found him outside the castle. Flowey looked confused as he assessed Frisk. She had saved her old clothes, the striped sweater and baggy shorts. The girl just stared back at him, offering no explanation for her return.

"What are you doing back here?" Flowey asked. "You did it, you won! The barrier's gone. Monsters are free. What more do you want?"

"You know," Frisk replied. The flower shuddered, but didn't change his expression.

"Look, just forget this place, okay?" Flowey pleaded. "You've already seen everything here. Just let Frisk live her life."

Frisk faltered, her prepared speech dying on her tongue. Didn't he recognize her? If he didn't think she was Frisk, who did he—

"But… you never were the kind of guy who could leave well enough alone, were you?" Flowey continued, smiling nervously. "L-look, I know I mentioned kill-or-be-killed, but… I don't believe that anymore. If you really want to start over…"

 _That's not what I want, you idiot!_

"…you'll be tearing everyone away from their happy ending."

Frisk wanted to speak, to set the record straight, but she couldn't find the words. The flower continued, "I can't stop you. I know what happened last time I tried. But… when you decide to reset everything… this world, this timeline, everyone's memories… please, reset me, too."

 _Asriel, please—!_

"W-well, see ya soon," Flowey whimpered. "…Chara."

Just as Flowey disappeared back into the ground, Frisk found her voice.

"Don't go," she squeaked.

Too late. She was alone with her unanswered questions. Though the thought crossed her mind, somehow she knew looking for him was pointless. Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes and waited for the tiny voice to chime in. Nothing happened. She remembered a pun. Nothing happened. She conjured up a memory of using a silly pickup line on Toriel. Nothing happened.

She called for help.

 **But nobody came**.

At her wits' end, Frisk shut her eyes tight and concentrated on the one thing she wanted more than ever, one thing she would trade her perfect new life for a thousand times just to see this wish come true. She would save him, even if he didn't wish to be saved. For her peace of mind, and to reunite a shattered family, she would bring back Asriel Dreemurr, even if she had to sacrifice countless "happy endings."

She was determined.

In an instant, she felt herself falling…

Her second run had begun.


	5. Chapter 5: A Catharsis

**Hello, it's me again. First off, I'm happy to see that my story's gotten such a positive response, given that it's my first Undertale fanfiction. Second, I've noticed there hasn't been as many reviews since the first chapter. While I'm happy for all the favorites, I want to know what people really think about the direction I'm taking. Are the characters to your liking? Does Frisk have a personality? Am I being too vague? Talk to me, people! I'm a white guy, I already have a huge ego as it is! Okay, that being said, I hope you enjoy reading this.**

It seems you really got the ball rolling, Frisk. Try as you might, you continue to be yourself. Seriously, I thought we were goners when his eyes went black. I mean, eye sockets. How does he even have pupils, anyway?

 _At least he understood. When I mentioned Flowey, he looked like he remembered something…_

Huh, you'd think he'd be back by now. With his teleporting powers, how long does it take to get one nerdy lizard back to the Hotland lab?

 _Maybe it makes her dizzy and he's humoring her._

Yeah, whatever.

… _Chara. What's the matter?_

Heh. Nothing gets past you, does it. I just wanted to thank you. For not telling him my name. Look, I know you look up to Sans. I have no idea why; his puns make me wish I could tear my hair out. But that aside… I don't think he'd have forgiven you if he knew I was involved.

 _What do you mean?_

Think about it, Frisk. He remembers everything. Do you really think he'd let you off the way he did if he knew I was here? He believes you when you say you want to bring back the brother you never had, because **he** tried to save his father figure. If he knows I exist, your motives are questionable and I'm a creepy demon.

 _No, you're not._

Quit giggling. Besides, I'm the reason Dad went to war all over again. He wouldn't have killed all those kids if I hadn't tried to turn his only son into a killer.

 _You were his son too, weren't you?_

Some son. Some brother. I should have stayed dead.

 _No you sh—_

Shut up. Just… just shut up for once, okay? Why do you even care?! You've heard my story a hundred times, and nothing ever changed. Do you even know what happens to me each time you leave this stupid mountain? Do you think I pass on? No. I stay with you. I end up in the back of your mind, watching you live your precious little life with the happy family I never had. I get a front row seat to Frisk: The Movie. And what can I do? JACK SHIT! ALL I CAN DO IS WAIT FOR YOU TO RESET! AND NOTHING! EVER! CHANGES! I'VE SEEN MOM CRY OVER YOU LEAVING HER MORE TIMES THAN I EVER CRIED IN MY LIFE! I'VE SEEN DAD DIE SO MUCH I COUNT THE MINUTES TILL IT HAPPENS AGAIN! I'VE HEARD MY BROTHER GIVE UP ON ME SO MUCH I WISH I COULD KILL MYSELF AGAIN! SO DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME I DESERVE TO LIVE AFTER WHAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH!

… _I'm sorry._

…I know. So am I.

 _That's also why I wanna bring him back. If Asriel gets his soul back… maybe you can pass on. You'll be happy, too. Won't you?_

That would be great… if it were possible.

 _We won't know if we don't try._

Frisk. You heard what the tras— what Sans said. His time machine's a bust. The old man's design had a power failure, and so did his. What are you gonna do, start up the Core again and use that to power it? Worst case scenario, you blow up the mountain. Best case, you blow up the machine.

 _Then we won't use time travel. He did say there might be something else._

Frisk, your optimism truly knows no bounds. Alright. If this is what you want, I'm behind you. Not that I have much choice… what's so funny?

 _You're a real softie after all, partner._

Am not!

 _Are too!_

Am—! …Well played. Now quit smirking.

 _No._

I'm serious, stop looking smug.

 _Why should I?_

Because the door just opened, you knucklehead.


End file.
